Image sensor with compact pixel layout

ABSTRACT

Solid-state image sensors, specifically image sensor pixels, which have three or four transistors, high sensitivity, low noise, and low dark current, are provided. The pixels have separate active regions for active components, row-shared photodiodes and may also contain a capacitor to adjust the sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range. The low dark current is achieved by using pinned photodiodes.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to and claims priority benefits from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/260,010 entitled “Image Sensor With Compact Pixel Layout,” filed Oct. 26, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which in turn claims priority to Korean application 10-2005-0051555, filed Jun. 15, 2005, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a solid-state image sensor; and, more particularly, to a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, which has four or three transistor pixels (4T, 3T), compact layout, high sensitivity, and low dark current. The low dark current is achieved by quenching the interface states by placing a p+ implant near the silicon-silicon dioxide interface

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTS

A typical image sensor senses light by converting impinging photons into electrons that are integrated (collected) in sensor pixels. After completion of the integration cycle, charge is converted into a voltage, which is supplied to output terminals of the sensor. In CMOS image sensors the charge-to-voltage conversion is accomplished directly in the pixels themselves and the analog pixel voltage is transferred to the output terminals through various pixel addressing and scanning schemes. The analog signal can be also converted on-chip to a digital equivalent before reaching the chip output. The pixels have incorporated in them a buffer amplifier, typically the source follower, which drives the sense lines that are connected to the pixels by suitable addressing transistors.

After charge-to-voltage conversion is completed and the resulting signal transferred out from the pixels, the pixels are reset in order to be ready for accumulation of new charge. In pixels employing a floating diffusion (FD) node as a charge detection node, the reset is accomplished by turning on a reset transistor that momentarily conductively connects the FD node to a voltage reference. This step removes the collected charge; however, it generates the well-known kTC-reset noise. The kTC noise has to be removed from the signal by a correlated double sampling (CDS) signal processing technique in order to achieve a desired low noise performance. The typical CMOS sensors that utilize the CDS concept need to have four transistors (4T) in the pixel.

Examples of the 4T pixel circuit can be found in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,107,655, 6,352,869 and 6,657,665 issued to Guidash. By introducing switching pulses into the Vdd bias line, it is possible to eliminate the select transistor from the pixel and achieve the CDS operation with only 3T in the pixel as described by Masahiro Kasano in an article entitled “A 2.0 μm Pixel Pitch MOS Image Sensor with an Amorphous Si Film Color Filter.” Digest of Technical Papers ISCC, vol. 48, February 2005, pp. 348-349.

FIG. 1 is a simplified layout of a conventional 4T image sensor pixel that has a common active region with a pinned photodiode and transistors.

In FIG. 1, a reference numeral 100 represents the simplified layout diagram of the conventional 4T pixel used in typical CMOS image sensors. Many such pixels are arranged in an array forming rows and columns in the actual image sensor, but for the simplicity of the drawing only one is shown in a greater detail. An active region 101 contains active elements of the pixel; those are, a pinned photodiode 102, a transfer gate 103, a floating diffusion (FD) node 104, a reset gate 106, a drain bias node 118, a drive transistor gate 113 serving as a source follower (SF), a source-drain region 119, an address select transistor gate 114, and an address select transistor source 120.

The area outside of the enclosed active region 101 is a shallow trench isolation (STI) region that is filled with thick isolation silicon dioxide. Also, in FIG. 1, the multilevel metal interconnects present in the pixel have been for clarity of the drawing omitted and replaced schematically by lines. A first horizontal line 117 is a row address line connected to a first contact 116 of the address select transistor gate 114, a second horizontal line 111 is a row transfer line connected to a second contact 112 of the transfer gate 103, and a poly-silicon bus 105 supplies a row reset signal to the reset gate 106 of the pixel. A first column line 108 provides the Vdd bias via third contact 109 to the drain bias node 118, while a second column line 107 carries the output signal from the address select transistor source 120 via fourth contact 115 to the column signal processing circuits located at the periphery of the array. The FD node 104 is connected to the drive transistor gate 113 via interconnect 110. The addressing and reset signals are supplied to the pixels also from the periphery of the array through the first horizontal line 117, the fourth contact 115 and the poly-silicon bus 105.

While this pixel functions well, this type of the pixel still has two main disadvantages: too many transistors occupy the large pixel area, and their position and interconnections cannot be efficiently arranged due to the contiguous shape of the active region 101. The larger number of transistors in each pixel may become a disadvantage when the pixel size needs to be reduced in order to build low cost and high-resolution image sensors.

For this reason, the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,107,655, 6,352,869 and 6,657,665 teach a technology that the circuits for read operation with 4T commonly share the photodiodes of the adjacent pixels allocated at the different rows.

However, it may still be difficult to provide the conventional 4T image sensor pixel with the compact layout and, since the active region for configuring the photodiode has the contiguous shape with the transistor for reading the pixel signals, particularly, the active region of the reset transistor, it may be difficult to arrange the positions of the related pixel elements and interconnections with high efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a practical CMOS image sensor that has high performance, simple structure and compact size.

In the embodiments with 4T or 3T pixels, it is possible to form a capacitor that is electrically connected between the common FD node and the drain of the drive transistor. This electric connection can be achieved through overlapping the polysilicon bus extended to the gate of the drive transistor with the drain of the drive transistor. Adjusting the amount of the overlap can vary the capacitance value of this capacitor. This feature is important for adjusting the conversion gain and thus the sensitivity of the sensor. The correct value of the capacitance also determines the dynamic range (DR) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the sensor.

The embodiments utilize pixels with pinned photodiodes that have p+ Boron impurities implanted at the silicon-silicon dioxide interface in the pinned photodiode regions. This implantation causes quenching of the interface states and low dark current generation.

Furthermore, the drive transistor in the embodiments of the present invention can be fabricated as an N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistor or as a P-channel MOS (PMOS) transistor. In particular, fabricating the drive transistor as a depletion type PMOS transistor contributes to an improvement of noise.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image sensor including a plurality of pixels arrayed in rows and columns, including: a first active region including two photodiodes each assigned for a different row and a common floating diffusion node shared by the two photodiodes; a second active region spatially separated from the first active region and including a reset transistor for resetting the corresponding pixel; and a third active region spatially separated from the first active region and the second active region and including a drive transistor outputting a pixel signal in response to a voltage on the floating diffusion node.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image sensor including a plurality of pixels arrayed in rows and columns, including: a first active region including two photodiodes each assigned for a different row and a common floating diffusion node shared by the two photodiodes; a second active region spatially separated from the first active region and including a drive transistor outputting a pixel signal in response to a voltage from the floating diffusion node; a poly-silicon bus extended from a gate of the drive transistor; and a capacitor formed as the poly-silicon bus overlaps with a drain region of the drive transistor being a part of the second active region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become better understood with respect to the following description of the preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a simplified layout of a conventional 4T image sensor pixel that has a common active region with a pinned photodiode and transistors;

FIG. 2 shows a simplified layout of row-shared pixels including separate active regions for a reset transistor, a transfer transistor, a select transistor, a drive transistor, and a pinned photodiode in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 shows a simplified layout of row-shared pixels where the select transistor is eliminated in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

CMOS image sensors with compact pixel layout in accordance with specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 represents a simplified layout of row-shared pixels that include separate active regions for a reset transistor, a transfer transistor, a select transistor, a drive transistor, and a pinned photodiode in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pixel array 200 shows a pair of row pixel pinned photodiodes 202 and 203 that share the common circuits. The metal layers have been for simplicity omitted and replaced by schematically drawn interconnecting lines. The pixels are also arranged in an array forming many rows and many columns.

The specific feature of the row-shared pixels is the separation of the active region within the pixel into three distinct blocks. In particular, a first active block 201 contains the pair of pinned photodiodes 202 and 203. A second active block 209 contains a reset transistor, and a third active block 226 contains a drive transistor and an address select transistor. The first block 201 also contains transfer gates 204 and 205 and a common FD node 206 for detecting charge. A metal interconnect 207 connects the common FD node 206 to a poly-silicon bus 208 that is contiguous with a gate 212 of the drive transistor. An interconnect 211 connects the poly-silicon bus 208 also to a source of the reset transistor, which is formed by a gate 210.

A reset signal is supplied to the reset gate 210 from a first horizontal bus line 216 via first contact 215. A drain 225 of the reset transistor is connected to a drain column bus line 224. Similarly, a drain 220 of the drive transistor is connected to the same drain column bus line 224. In particular, the drain column bus line 224 is a VDD signal line. A source 221 of the drive transistor is common with a drain of the address select transistor whose gate 213 receives an addressing signal from a second horizontal bus line 219 via second contact 214.

An output signal is sensed at a source 222 of the address select transistor, which is connected to another column bus line 223. In particular, said another column bus line 223 is a pixel output signal line.

Transfer gate bus lines 217 and 218 supply appropriate charge transfer signals generated in the circuits located at the periphery of the pixel array 200 to the transfer gates 205 and 204. Although not illustrated, the drain column bus line 224 and said another column bus line 223 are also connected to the circuits at the periphery of the pixel array 200 to supply the required bias and to process the output signal from the addressed pixel.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the separation of the active region of the conventional 4T image sensor pixel into three distinct blocks and sharing the photodiodes in two rows with the same pixel signal sensing circuits result in a very efficient layout. The above described layout has higher aperture efficiency resulting in a higher performance sensor. By extending the third active region 226 under the poly-silicon bus 208 as indicated by a dashed line 227, it is possible to form a capacitor that is electrically connected between the common FD node, 206 and the drain 220, of the drive transistor. Adjusting the amount of the overlap between the third active region 226 and the poly-silicon bus 208 can vary the capacitance value of this capacitor. This feature is important for adjusting the conversion gain and thus the sensitivity of the sensor. The correct value of the capacitance also determines the dynamic range (DR) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the sensor.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3. Particularly, FIG. 3 shows a simplified layout of another type of row-shared pixels where the select transistor is eliminated.

A pixel array 300 represents a similar layout as is shown in the above described pixel array 200 in FIG. 2. The active region is also split into several distinct regions. A first active region 301 contains pinned photodiodes 302 and 303, transfer gates 304 and 305, and a common FD node 306. Two other active regions, namely a second active region 309 and a third active region 318, contain a reset transistor with a gate 310 and a drain 319, and a drive transistor DX with a gate 312, a source 321 and a drain 320. In this concept the address select transistor has been eliminated and is replaced by an external circuit that pulses a powering line 322 as described by Kasano. A first bus 307 connects the common FD node 306 to a poly-silicon bus 308. A second bus 311 connects the poly-silicon bus 308 to a source of the reset transistor. The gate 310 of the reset transistor receives, the reset pulses of the gate 310 via contact 313 from a reset line 323. The pixel is addressed by the powering line 322, which is connected to the source 321 of the drive transistor and thus turns the drive transistor on. The output signal is detected at the drain 320 of the drive transistor, which is connected to a column bus line 316. Another column bus line 317 supplies bias to the drain 319 of the reset transistor. It is also possible to extend the third active region 318 similarly as in the previous embodiment such that the third active region 318 overlaps the poly-silicon bus 308 and forms a capacitor. This extended capacitor is not shown in this drawing to maintain clarity and simplicity. Horizontal bus lines 314 and 315 supply transfer pulses to the transfer gates 304 and 305. The pulses are generated in the peripheral circuits which are not shown in this drawing. The output signal is also processed in the peripheral circuits as is well known to those skilled in the art. These circuits are also not shown in FIG. 3.

An advantage of this embodiment is that there are only two transistors per pixel, and this advantage, makes it possible to design high performance image sensors with very small pixel sizes using only moderate design rules. Both embodiments utilize pinned photodiodes that have p+ Boron impurities implanted at the silicon-silicon dioxide interface in pinned photodiode regions. This implantation causes quenching of the interface states and low dark current generation. Another advantage of the layouts is high aperture efficiency resulting from smaller area occupied by the pixel transistors.

Also, in the above described embodiments, the drive transistor can be fabricated as an N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistor or as a P-channel MOS (PMOS) transistor. In particular, fabricating the drive transistor as a depletion type PMOS transistor contributes to an improvement of noise.

The present patent application contains subject matter related to the Korean patent application No. KR 2005-0051555, filed in the Korean Patent Office on Jun. 15, 2005, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.

Having described preferred embodiments of novel 3T and 4T pixel layouts that are compact, have high sensitivity, and low dark current, which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting, it is noted that persons skilled in the art can make modifications and variations in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the invention disclosed, which are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by appended claims. 

1-30. (canceled)
 31. A method, comprising: forming, in a first active region of a substrate, a first photodiode of a first pixel row, a second photodiode of a second pixel row, and a floating diffusion node shared by the first photodiode and the second photodiode; forming a reset transistor in a second active region of the substrate that is separate from the first active region; and forming a polysilicon bus configured to couple the floating diffusion node to a source region for the reset transistor.
 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising: forming, in a third active region separate from the first active region, a drive transistor configured to generate a pixel signal based on a voltage of the floating diffusion node.
 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: coupling a drain region for the drive transistor to a column bus line that is associated with a pixel column and that is configured to receive the pixel signal in response to an addressing signal; and coupling a source region for the drive transistor to a row address line that is associated with the first pixel row and the second pixel row and that is configured to apply the addressing signal to the source region for the drive transistor.
 34. The method claim 32, wherein said forming a polysilicon bus comprises forming a capacitor between the floating diffusion node and the drive transistor by forming the polysilicon bus over a portion of a drain region for the drive transistor.
 35. The method of claim 32, further comprising: forming, in the third active region, a select transistor configured to generate an output signal representative of the pixel signal in response to an addressing signal.
 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising: coupling a drain region for the select transistor to a column bus line that is associated with a pixel column and that is configured to receive the output signal from the select transistor; and coupling a gate for the select transistor to a row address line that is associated with the first pixel row and the second pixel row and that is configured to apply the addressing signal to the gate for the select transistor.
 37. The method of claim 35, wherein said forming a drive transistor and said forming a select transistor comprise forming a source region for the drive transistor and a drain region for the select transistor as a common region in the third active region.
 38. The method of claim 31, further comprising: forming, in the first active region, a first transfer gate configured to transfer charge from the first photodiode to the floating diffusion node in response to a first control signal; and forming, in the first active region, a second transfer gate configured to transfer charge from the second photodiode to the floating diffusion node in response to a second control signal.
 39. A method, comprising: forming, in a first active region of a substrate, a plurality of photodiodes from a plurality of different pixel rows and a floating diffusion node shared by the plurality of photodiodes; forming a reset transistor in a second active region of the substrate that is separate from the first active region; and forming a polysilicon bus configured to couple the floating diffusion node to a source region for the reset transistor.
 40. The method of claim 39, further comprising: forming, in a third active region separate from the first active region, a drive transistor configured to generate a pixel signal based on a voltage of the floating diffusion node.
 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising: coupling a drain region for the drive transistor to a column bus line that is associated with a pixel column and that is configured to receive the pixel signal in response to an addressing signal; and coupling a source region for the drive transistor to a row address line that is associated with the plurality of different pixel rows and that is configured to apply the addressing signal to the source region for the drive transistor.
 42. The method claim 40, wherein said forming a polysilicon bus comprises forming a capacitor between the floating diffusion node and the drive transistor by forming the polysilicon bus over a portion of a drain region for the drive transistor.
 43. The method of claim 40, further comprising: forming, in the third active region, a select transistor configured to generate an output signal representative of the pixel signal in response to an addressing signal.
 44. The method of claim 43, further comprising: coupling a drain region for the select transistor to a column bus line that is associated with a pixel column and that is configured to receive the output signal from the select transistor; and coupling a gate for the select transistor to a row address line that is associated with the plurality of different pixel rows and that is configured to apply the addressing signal to the gate for the select transistor.
 45. The method of claim 43, wherein said forming a drive transistor and said forming a select transistor comprise forming a source region for the drive transistor and a drain region for the select transistor as a common region in the third active region.
 46. The method of claim 39, further comprising: forming, in the first active region, a plurality of transfer gates configured to transfer charge from the plurality of photodiodes to the floating diffusion node in response to respective control signals.
 47. A method, comprising: resetting a floating diffusion region in a first active region of a substrate using a reset transistor in a second active region of the substrate; transferring, to the floating diffusion node, charge collected in the first active region by a first photodiode of a first pixel row; generating a pixel signal based on a voltage of the floating diffusion node with a drive transistor in a third active region of the substrate; resetting the floating diffusion region using the reset transistor after said generating a pixel signal; and transferring, to the floating diffusion node, charge collected in the first active region by a second photodiode of a second pixel row.
 48. The method of claim 47, wherein said resetting a floating diffusion node comprises applying a reference voltage to the floating diffusion node via a polysilicon bus coupled between a source region for the reset transistor and the floating diffusion node.
 49. The method of claim 47, wherein said generating a pixel signal comprises applying the voltage at the floating diffusion node to a gate for the drive transistor via a polysilicon bus.
 50. The method of claim 47, further comprising: transferring charge collected by the first photodiode to a capacitor formed by a drain region for the drive transistor and a polysilicon bus coupled to the floating diffusion region.
 51. The method of claim 47, further comprising applying the pixel signal to a column bus line coupled to a drain region for the drive transistor in response to receiving an addressing signal via a row address coupled to a source region for the drive transistor.
 52. The method of claim 47, further comprising: receiving an addressing signal via a select transistor in the third active region; and generating, in response to the address signal, an output signal representative of the pixel signal.
 53. The method of claim 47, further comprising: receiving an addressing signal via a row address line coupled to a gate for a select transistor in the third active region; and applying, in response to the address signal, an output signal representative of the pixel signal to a column bus line that is coupled to a drain region for the select transistor. 